Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in the final of the US Open on Sunday, September 13. After his triumph, the German sent his wishes to the women in Shelton’s box, including the American’s girlfriend Trinity Rodman, but fans didn’t take too kindly to his speech, slamming him for his ‘disrespect’.
Zverev and Shelton’s battle at the Arthur Ashe Stadium was a highly anticipated affair. Both players had put on some spectacular performances en route to the summit clash, and it was Zverev who got the lead early in the final, clinching the first set 6-3. The top seed went on to claim a narrow 7-6(2) win in the second set, before Shelton came back to clinch a 7-5 victory to deny the German a straight-sets win. Zverev eventually laid claim to the US Open trophy with a 6-2 triumph in the fourth set.
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After the match, Alexander Zverev congratulated Ben Shelton and his team for their run in New York. The World No. 2 also mentioned the women in the American’s box and his girlfriend Trinity Rodman, adding,
“I want to say well done to Ben’s team, to Brian, to everybody who’s there, I think to (his) mom and sister as well. I think everybody is just as important over there as they are on this side of the court. Trinity, I thought you had a game today, no? Well done to you as well. You’re the lucky charm. Not today, but usually.”
Reacting to Zverev’s speech, one fan on X criticized him for his ‘disrespect’ and wrote,
“Sir…in no circumstances you should address someone’s partner or mother. This is PURE disrespect, on the same level as spitting in the face. Be careful out there.”
Another fan called the German’s behaviour ‘disgusting’, writing
“Just disgusting behavior eww.”
Here is how other tennis enthusiasts reacted to Alexander Zverev mentioning Trinity Rodman in his US Open speech:
“Keep her name out of your mouth! Like what was that pandering to the ladies in Ben’s box? Being nice to them isn’t going to fix your reputation man. Give your speech, pick your check off the floor, and keep it pushing 😏,” one fan wrote.
“This guy’s so weird,” another added.
“Ewww don’t talk to her,” one X user commented.
“Get a job and stay away from her” yet another fan chimed in.
Alexander Zverev leaps to No. 1 spot in Race to Turin
Alexander Zverev enjoyed a fantastic two weeks in New York. The German had a slightly rocky start to his campaign at the year’s last Grand Slam, narrowly avoiding upsets against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys in his first two matches. However, once the top seed found his rhythm, he quickly became a dominant force on the court, disposing of Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi, Botic Van de Zandschulp and Karen Khachanov in straight sets to get to the final.
In the summit clash, Alexander Zverev got the better of Ben Shelton to lift the US Open trophy. The 29-year-old has subsequently overtaken Jannik Sinner and clinched the No. 1 spot in the Race to Turin rankings.
Edited by Riddhi Acharya